5 things we learned as Mata, Depay and Pereira seal the win

Manchester United maintained their winning run on their US tour with a 3-1 triumph over San Jose Earthquakes in the early hours of today, writes David McDonnell in San Jose. Juan Mata got United up and running with the opener after half an hour played before new boy Memphis Depay added a second just three minutes later when he pounced on a weak back-pass and slotted the ball past the keeper in the far corner.
Former Southampton pair Morgan Schneiderlin and Luke Shaw combined to let San Jose back into it, with Fatai Alashe taking advantage to slide the ball into the United net for 2-1.
But with half an hour left to play United wrapped up the win. A nice, dinked cross from Jesse Lingard was headed in by Andreas Pereira.
That made it 3-1 at the Avaya Stadium, built in the shadow of San Jose International Airport at the foot of the Santa Cruz mountains.
There can be fewer more eye-catching backdrops in world football, but what did we learn on the pitch from United as they head into their second-season under Louis van Gaal?

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2-0: Depay slots is past San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper David Bingham to double United's lead

1) Luke Shaw is looking sharp in pre-season

Shaw endured a tough start to his United career last summer, following his £27million move from Southampton.
By his own admission, he arrived at United out of shape and Louis van Gaal made him train on his own on the club's pre-season tour of the US.
A year on, and it is a different story. Shaw looks sharper, leaner and ready to consign his injury-plagued debut season to the past.
Several times he made some surging runs on the overlap, getting into some dangerous attacking positions down the left, while he was also alert defensively, never more so than in the 15th minute when he made up several yards on San Jose winger Marvell Wynne, to dispossess him in the United area with a perfectly-timed tackle.
The decision not to allow Shaw to play for England Under-21s looks to have benefited the left-back, who, with a full pre-season behind him, can start to justify his clear potential.

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Clash of heads: Manchester United's Wayne Rooney leading from the front

2) Ashley Young deserves a new contract

Of all the renaissances under Louis van Gaal last season, Ashley Young's was arguably one of the most impressive.
Having lost his way at United through injuries and poor form, Young rediscovered his mojo last season, re-inventing himself as an effective left wing-back and also excelling as an orthodox wide player, to the extent United skipper Wayne Rooney voted for him as the club's Player of the Year at the annual end of season awards ceremony at Old Trafford.
Here in San Jose, Young continued that impressive form, showing great awareness and using his pace to devastating effect, as well as forming a successful understanding with Luke Shaw down the left.
Out of contract at the end of the coming season, United have handed new deals to the likes of Michael Carrick, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones. Young, on current form, certainly deserves to join them in earning a contract extension.

3) Morgan Schneiderlin cannot afford to switch off

Schneiderlin, a £24million summer signing from Southampton, made an impressive, composed debut for United, controlling the midfield and scoring the only goal in the 1-0 win over Club America in Seattle, a looping header from a Juan Mata cross.
But here in San Jose, Schneiderlin will be remembered for the slack defending that allowed the Earthquakes to pull a goal back three minutes before half-time, an error that will have surely earned the midfielder a dressing-room rebuke from boss Louis van Gaal.
Schneiderlin allowed Shea Salinas to go past him with considerable ease and cross for Fatai Alashe, who steered the ball beyond United keeper Sam Johnstone.

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2-1: San Jose Earthquakes' Shea Salinas got the assist as Fatai Alashe scored for the home side

Schneiderlin has proved himself one of the most accomplished young midfielders in the Premier League in recent seasons, but Van Gaal will not accept him switching off as lamely as he did on that occasion.

4) The plot thickens over Marouane Fellaini's continued omission

For the second game on tour, Marouane Fellaini has not been involved.
Van Gaal claimed, after the win over Club America, that as Fellaini was suspended for United's first three Premier League games of the new campaign, following his straight red card on the final day of last season against Hull, there was no point in playing him.
After the latest snub against San Jose, Fellaini could be forgiven for wondering if he will get to kick a ball in the US and whether Van Gaal is continuing to punish him for what he deemed an “unbelievably stupid” dismissal for the reckless challenge on Paul McShane.
Quite how Fellaini is expected to build up his fitness or acquire any sense of match rhythm, if he's not playing, only Van Gaal knows.
The Belgium midfielder is not banned for United's two-leg Champions League qualifier, but it's hard to see him featuring if Van Gaal won't even let him kick a ball on tour. The plot thickens...